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Ikea Augmented Reality App Lets Shoppers Try Before They Buy

Ikea Augmented Reality

Losing sleep worrying whether or not that particle board Lack table will look alright next to your Oslo bed? Lucky for you, the new Ikea augmented reality app lets you arrange virtual furniture in your home, creating a preview that is true to both size and color.

To try it out, just scan a page from Ikea’s paper catalog (old school!) and place the catalog on the floor where you want your magical Swedish furniture to appear. The app then takes live video from your device’s camera and slaps a superimposed piece of furniture on top so that you can see exactly how it will look next to your thrift store buys.

The ongoing push by brands to enter the augmented reality or assisted reality space is not new, but actually useful applications from major retails are. That said, better smartphone hardware and increased bandwidth from carriers like Verizon will only make useful AR apps more common. Wireless technologies are also conspiring to add to the mix, with new Bluetooth technologies offering more robust media and control experiences, taking our phones beyond a calling experience and into a new age of interactivity with our surroundings.

As the video below illustrates, the app is also good for hours upon hours of family fun. Hooray! The app will be available for Android and iOS on August 25. Ikea sees the app as an opportunity to not only drive sales, but also cut back on the number of purchases that are returned due to incorrect dimension assessments.

The Ikea augmented reality app isn’t the first brand attempt to useĀ AR to drive sales. PearleVision, Udecore and Panasonic each have mobile apps that allow shoppers to virtually interact with products before they buy.